A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906

The international best-selling author of The Professor and the Madman and Krakatoa vividly brings to life the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake that leveled a city symbolic of America's relentless western expansion. Simon Winchester has also fashioned an enthralling and informative look at the tumultuous subterranean world that produces earthquakes, the planet's most sudden and destructive force.

Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms,and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories

Atlantic is a biography of a tremendous space that has been central to the ambitions of explorers, scientists, and warriors, and continues profoundly to affect our character, attitudes, and dreams. Spanning the ocean's story, from its geological origins to the age of exploration, from World War II battles to today's struggles with pollution and overfishing, Winchester's narrative is epic, intimate, and awe inspiring.

The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology

In 1793, William Smith, the orphan son of a village blacksmith, made a startling discovery that was to turn the science of geology on its head. While surveying the route for a canal near Bath, he noticed that the fossils found in one layer of the rocks he was excavating were very different from those found in another. And out of that realization came an epiphany: that by following these fossils one could trace layers of rocks as they dipped, rose and fell, clear across England and clear across the world.

The Men Who United the States: America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics, and Mavericks, and the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible

How did America become “one nation, indivisible”? What unified a growing number of disparate states into the modern country we recognize today? To answer these questions, Winchester follows in the footsteps of America’s most essential explorers, thinkers, and innovators. Introducing the fascinating people who played a pivotal role in creating today’s United States, he ponders whether the historic work of uniting the States has succeeded, and to what degree.

Best-selling author Simon Winchester offers an enthralling biography of the Pacific Ocean and its role in the modern world, exploring our relationship with this imposing force of nature. Winchester's personal experience is vast and his storytelling second to none. And his historical understanding of the region is formidable, making Pacific a paean to this magnificent sea of beauty, myth, and imagination that is transforming our lives.

The Professor and the Madman

Part history, part true-crime, and entirely entertaining, listen to the story of how the behemoth Oxford English Dictionary was made. You'll hang on every word as you discover that the dictionary's greatest contributor was also an insane murderer working from the confines of an asylum.

The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet

In the best-selling tradition of Erik Larson's Isaac's Storm, The Great Quake is a riveting narrative about the biggest earthquake in North American recorded history - the 1964 Alaska earthquake that demolished the city of Valdez and swept away the island village of Chenega - and the geologist who hunted for clues to explain how and why it took place.

The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary

Writing with marvelous brio, Simon Winchester first serves up a lightning history of the English language and pays homage to the great dictionary makers from Samuel Johnson to Noah Webster before turning his unmatched talent for storytelling to the making of the most venerable of dictionaries: The Oxford English Dictionary.

The Fracture Zone: A Return to the Balkans

Award-winning journalist and author Simon Winchester takes readers on a personal tour of the Balkans. Combining history and interviews with the people who live there, Winchester offers a fascinating glimpse into the complex issues at work in this chaotic region. Unrest in the Balkans has gone on for centuries. A seasoned reporter, Winchester visited the region twenty years ago. When Kosovo reached crisis level in 1997, Winchester thought a return visit to the beleaguered area would help to make sense out of the awful violence.

Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder - A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science

Whether you are a scientist or a poet, pro-nuclear energy or staunch opponent, conspiracy theorist or pragmatist, James Mahaffey's books have served to open up the world of nuclear science like never before. With clear explanations of some of the most complex scientific endeavors in history, Mahaffey's new book looks back at the atom's wild, secretive past and then toward its potentially bright future.

Alice Behind Wonderland

On a summer's day in 1858, in a garden behind Christ Church College in Oxford, Charles Dodgson, a lecturer in mathematics, photographed six-year-old Alice Liddell, the daughter of the college dean, with a Thomas Ottewill Registered Double Folding camera, recently purchased in London. Simon Winchester deftly uses the resulting image - as unsettling as it is famous, and the subject of bottomless speculation - as the vehicle for a brief excursion behind the lens, a focal point on the origins of a classic work of English literature.

Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens

For months in early 1980, scientists, journalists, and ordinary people listened anxiously to rumblings in the long quiescent volcano Mount St. Helens. Still, when a massive explosion took the top off the mountain, no one was prepared. Fifty-seven people died, including newlywed logger John Killian (for years afterward, his father searched for him in the ash), scientist Dave Johnston, and celebrated local curmudgeon Harry Truman. The lives of many others were forever changed.

Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam

By January 1968, despite an influx of half a million American troops, the fighting in Vietnam seemed to be at a stalemate. Yet General William Westmoreland, commander of American forces, announced a new phase of the war in which "the end begins to come into view". The North Vietnamese had different ideas. In mid-1967, the leadership in Hanoi had started planning an offensive intended to win the war in a single stroke.

To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World

To Rule the Waves tells the extraordinary story of how the British Royal Navy allowed one nation to rise to a level of power unprecedented in history. From the navy's beginnings under Henry VIII to the age of computer warfare and special ops, historian Arthur Herman tells the spellbinding tale of great battles at sea, heroic sailors, violent conflict, and personal tragedy - of the way one mighty institution forged a nation, an empire, and a new world.

Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital

David Oshinsky, whose last book, Polio: An American Story, was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, chronicles the history of America's oldest hospital and in so doing also charts the rise of New York to the nation's preeminent city, the path of American medicine from butchery and quackery to a professional and scientific endeavor, and the growth of a civic institution.

Collision Course: The Classic Story of the Collision of the Andrea Doria and the Stockholm

One of the largest, fastest, and most beautiful ships in the world, the Andrea Doria was en route to New York from Italy. Departing from the United States was the much smaller Stockholm. On the foggy night of July 25, 1956, 53 miles southeast of Nantucket, the Stockholm sliced through the Doria's steel hull. Within minutes, the sea was pouring into the Italian liner. Eleven hours later, she capsized and sank into the ocean.

Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World's Worst Nuclear Disaster

At 01:23:40 on April 26th 1986, Alexander Akimov pressed the emergency shutdown button at Chernobyl's fourth nuclear reactor. It was an act that forced the permanent evacuation of a city, killed thousands, and crippled the Soviet Union. The event spawned decades of conflicting, exaggerated, and inaccurate stories.

The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story

Since the days of conquistador Hernán Cortés, rumors have circulated about a lost city of immense wealth hidden somewhere in the Honduran interior, called the White City or the Lost City of the Monkey God. Indigenous tribes speak of ancestors who fled there to escape the Spanish invaders, and they warn that anyone who enters this sacred city will fall ill and die.

The 1883 Eruption of Krakatoa: The History of the World's Most Notorious Volcanic Explosions

Perhaps the most famous and most destructive eruption in modern history was the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. Even without the instantaneous forms of communication that are now available, the world watched in wonder for new updates about a tiny South Pacific island. And though few of them would ever go there, Krakatoa remained a source of fascination for the much of the world for the next 50 years.

Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World

Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. With year-round freezing rain and howling winds, it is one of the most forbidding places in the world. To be shipwrecked there means almost certain death. In 1864, Captain Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the island. Utterly alone in a dense coastal forest, plagued by stinging blowflies and relentless rain, Captain Musgrave inspires his men to take action.

Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them

In 1518, in a small town in Alsace, Frau Troffea began dancing and didn't stop. She danced until she was carried away six days later, and soon 34 more villagers joined her. Then more. In a month more than 400 people had been stricken by the mysterious dancing plague. In late-19th-century England an eccentric gentleman founded the No Nose Club in his gracious townhome - a social club for those who had lost their noses, and other body parts, to the plague of syphilis for which there was then no cure.

Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

In 1900, Isaac Monroe Cline was in charge of the Galveston station of the US Weather Bureau. He was a knowledgeable, seasoned weatherman who considered himself a scientist. When he heard the deep thudding of waves on Galveston's beach in the early morning of September 8, however, Cline refused to be alarmed. The city had been hit by bad weather before.

The Children's Blizzard

January 12, 1888, began as an unseasonably warm morning across Nebraska, the Dakotas, and Minnesota, the weather so mild that children walked to school without coats and gloves. But that afternoon, without warning, the atmosphere suddenly, violently changed. One moment the air was calm; the next the sky exploded in a raging chaos of horizontal snow and hurricane-force winds. Temperatures plunged as an unprecedented cold front ripped through the center of the continent.

Publisher's Summary

The legendary annihilation in 1883 of the volcano-island of Krakatoa (the name has since become a by-word for a cataclysmic disaster) was followed by an immense tsunami that killed nearly 40,000 people. Beyond the purely physical horrors of an event which has only very recently become properly understood, the eruption changed the world in more ways than could possibly be imagined. Dust swirled round the world for years, causing temperatures to plummet and sunsets to turn vivid with lurid and unsettling displays of light. The effects of the immense waves were felt as far away as France. Barometers in Bogota and Washington went haywire. Bodies were washed up in Zanzibar. The sound of the island's destruction was heard in Australia and India and on islands thousands of miles away.

Most significantly of all, in view of today's new political climate, the eruption helped to trigger in Java a wave of murderous anti-western militancy by fundamentalist Muslims, one of the first eruptions of Islamic killings anywhere. Simon Winchester's long experience in world wandering, history, and geology give this fascinating and iconic event an entirely new life and perspective.

What the Critics Say

"Thrilling, comprehensive, literate, meticulously researched and scientifically accurate....It is one of the best books ever written about the history and significance of a natural disaster." (The New York Times Book Review( "If you're looking for drama, you'll certainly find it here....Winchester manages a dry and ironic delivery, very much in keeping with his writing style. But the main point of interest when the dust has settled is the far-flung ramifications of this eruption upon world events. This is a winner." (AudioFile) "All readers, science-prone or not, will be delighted by this experience-expanding book." (Booklist)

About a month ago I requested this title from audible and was very excited to find it available now. The author is a geologist and writes in a very pleasant style, easy to follow and very unique. Interesting facts about the catastrophe itself but also about the world, the technology and the people of 1883 are connected and very well projected. I admire the author for his reading skills. Often I find that authors should not read their own books and leave that task to the professional actors, in this case though, I enjoyed it very much. He has an excellent voice, and since he describes a few personal encounters, it is very delightful that he reads those to the listener himself. If people don't like this book, they may expect something else than this first class science report. It is not a love story, nor an imaginary tale. If you read scientific american, enjoy good writing and a new voice to read to you, you will enjoy this book.

Once again I sing the praises of Simon Winchester. Here is a man who can tell a story! Now wait a minute -- this is NOT fiction. If you are looking for a novel, go elsewhere. This is the true, well-researched account of the most monumental disaster in recorded human history! It's the real thing! You can look in any encyclopedia and read about the eruption of Krakatau/Krakatoa, but Winchester gives you so much more! His research is astonishing and the way he explains it all in so much detail is wonderful!
I like the way he put this horrible event in perspective regarding world events of the time and how the Krakatoa calamity may have caused some of the tension in the world we are living in today.

I am not aware that the man is a geologist, but I know for certain he is a darn good writer. I love his reading style -- so properly British and all that... I am impressed by his ability to amass a lot of facts and work them into a fascinating narrative. History lesson? Why not! Keep them coming, Simon. I will read whatever you write and love every minute of it.

A superb work, superbly read by the author. This is not an historical novel, so don't come to it looking for exciting fiction. Another reviewer had it right in saying that if you enjoy Scientific American, then you'll enjoy this. A perfect tapestry, woven from the threads of every field of science. Kudos.

I agree with one reviewer who said that your opinion of this book may depend on what you’re looking for. If you want a rip-snorting disaster epic, this won’t work. If you delight in grand historic events placed in context with history, politics, geography and science, told with a generous dollop of wry humor, you’re in the right place. The research is impressive, made accessible by the comfortably expert delivery. Who would have thought that plate tectonics could be not merely interesting, but entertaining? Winchester’s talent with words, his obvious affection for his subject, and his spot-on reading made this truth better than fiction. My only caveat, and the reason for only 4 stars overall, is that those who listen while driving don’t have the option of looking at maps while listening in order to keep the specific geographic points straight as they are described. But the story deserves full marks for successfully making history and science a riveting “read”. I learned much more than I expected, not just about the eruption, but about the global context of the event and its aftermath, including the cliffhanger that it is likely to happen again.

Krakatoa is almost amazing, but ends up merely good. All the elements of an excellent book are there: Simon Winchester is funny and engaging; the science is interesting; the period of history is fascinating; and Krakatoa has important implications for today's world. Further, Winchester covers all of this - the science, the history, and the modern implications. So, the problem isn't the facts, or the underlying material, instead it is in the way that he weaves them together.

The book aims for Bill Bryson, using Krakatoa to discuss various fascinating issues, but, unlike Bryson, Winchester can't seem to bring them all together very well. Many interesting points are raised, but never truly connect, making most of the book feel disjointed. For example, the history of Batavia is a major story early in Krakatoa, but Batavia itself is undamaged by the volcano, and there is little follow-up to help us understand why the author spent so much time on the city. Or take the intellectual history of plate tectonics, which is introduced through some plummy personal anecdotes, but then mostly abandoned later in the story. A stronger narrative might have concentrated on a few people or institutions, and how they were effected by Krakatoa, but instead we are taken on a whirlwind tour where little sticks in the memory.

It certainly isn't bad, and I did learn a lot about a fascinating period, but between the somewhat disjointed story and the occasional over-reach (Krakatoa lead to the rise of fundamentalist Islamic terrorism?), I often found my attention wandering while listening.

I've listened to this book several times. Winchester's voice is hynotic. He describes the history of Indonesia, pepper, Dutch colonialsim, tsunamis, early telegraph communication, the London Times, and the discovery of plate techtonics. It is a really wonderful book - well-researched and topical.

If you love books full of details and in-depth history, as well as anecdotal tales and evidence, this book is for you! If you've read the Publisher's Summary and are expecting a book that's, well, "lively", you should probably look elsewhere. Case-in-point: It took nearly five hours to get to the explosion of Krakatoa! I'd seen this book in the book store and was beside myself with excitement when I saw it on Audible.com. Having just finished "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" by Douglas Adams, I was looking for something a bit more serious and dramatic. Unfortunately, "Krakatoa" wasn't what I was expecting, explaining everything from the political and economical history of the area to plate tectonics and Darwinism. Obviously, the author is very knowledgable on the subject, and a tremendous amount of research must have gone into this book -- and on the subject of Krakatoa, I personally found the latter half of the book, following the explosion, much more interesting...especially the discussion about Islam. I just depends what you're looking for.

Half the joy of this book are the digressions...in telling the tale of the Krakatoa eruption, Winchester also gives the history of everything touching on Krakatoa, inlcuding (but not limited to) the spice trade's origins in antiquity, the history of map-making, Dutch colonialism in Indonesia, the origins of the Reuters news service, the birth of the first global communications network in the 19th century (via undersea telegraph lines), the mechanics of vulcanism and plate tectonics, the history of geologic thought and theory, the origins of radical Islam in Indonesia...

I found this book very interesting and enjoyable, and Simon Winchester does an excellent job of narrating his own book. Definitely worth the credit, and I'm now going to see what else Audible has available that's authored by him.

This is the second book I’ve listened to by Simon Winchester, which I was prompted to do by his title The Professor and the Madman. This book seemed to be the most interesting of all his other titles beyond that book, but as good as that book was this book simply does not measure up on any level. This book left me feeling flat and unsated. While I did finish the book in a reasonably swift manner I was doing so more in hopes that it would suddenly, and without warning, grab me and pull me in. It never did.

Krakatoa is overly detailed and it has far too much ancillary filler history about the colonial ambitions of the Europeans, about the location, and the goings on of the people in Batavia; so on and so forth. It reads more like a history text book then what a book like this, by this caliber of writer, should read like. It simply does not focus enough on the event itself in my view. A small glimmer of hope is that Winchester managed to weave enough interesting scientific information into the entire telling that I did learn something and I found those parts particularly good and of value.

Winchester is a very good narrator, but narration alone cannot invest someone in a book. I have mixed emotions about this book because I judge my books based on how much I learn, how many bookmarks I place for later reference, how I feel about listening to the book again, and if the writer can stick to the facts without bias or embellishment. I definitely learned new things from this book, but I placed only two book marks, I’m not sure about listening again, and I'm not sure how biased some of the story is? So, I sit on the fence wondering what I should do because as I write this I honestly cannot say 'get the book', or, 'avoid the book'. I wish Audible allowed updates to reviews so I could give it another go and if I find I am wrong update this! I regret being of no help in your decision!